


jealousy looks good on you

by happyxinqs



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, M/M, Marijuana, Smoking, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 10:03:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15603918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happyxinqs/pseuds/happyxinqs
Summary: Baekhyun is ambitious and petty, and Chanyeol is a master at guitar with a superiority complex. Not exactly the best combination for a band, especially when neither can shut up.





	jealousy looks good on you

**Author's Note:**

> as always, this was supposed to be a <3k smut that I started writing ages ago, but it developed into this 18k spew when I finally decided to finish it.
> 
> the inspiration came from 170211 chanyeol at exo'rdium 
> 
> also this signals (sort of) my return to regular fic-writing ?? I hope :)))
> 
> hope you all like it! ;u;

“This is hopeless,” Baekhyun sighs, drawing a thick black line across the person’s name in Sharpie.

“We still have, what, one more person to see?” Lu Han says as he peeks over Baekhyun’s shoulder at the sign-up sheet. Baekhyun practically winces at the forced optimism in his tone.

“Yeah, and I bet they’re going to suck, too,” He grimaces at the seven names on the paper. “Everyone who signed up probably just wanted to be in the band for the glory and fame. It's tough dealing with the adoring public."

Lu Han fixes Baekhyun with a glare. “You have some weird idol complex."

"Not my fault I was born with this voice." Baekhyun flicks his non-existent long hair.

"We don't even have a public, let alone 'adoring'," Lu Han highlights, and Baekhyun sighs.

"It was a _representation_ of our level of talent."

“It’s not a ‘representation’ of anything, except maybe your stupidity.”

Baekhyun side-eyes him, "Yes, we all know I'm not the best at metaphors, but just go with me for once, okay? I have big dreams for us. Our faces plastered all over Times Square, performing at Lollapalooza, Tokyo Dome, The O2 Arena," he hooks an arm around Lu Han's shoulders, waving an outstretched hand in mid-air in an attempt of painting a picture. "Of course, all this is only possible with an adoring public."

Lu Han is pinching the bridge of his nose and trying his hardest to quell his frustration when they hear a cough from the doorway and their gazes flick up.

“Didn’t mean to interrupt your important discussion,” the guy says, with a voice way too deep for his face, “which sounds _really_ top notch by the way, but can I do my audition now?” Baekhyun narrows his eyes at him, the clear sarcasm in his voice not appreciated. He’s never seen him around school, meaning he’s either a highly-dedicated introvert, or a transfer. Baekhyun goes with the latter because with a guy _that_ tall, there’s no way someone would have missed him walking down the halls.

He isn't deterred by Baekhyun's glare, stepping further into the room and it's only when he sets his guitar case down that Baekhyun realizes he's brought his own instrument, unlike the previous tryouts. He doesn't know if he should be expecting much from this guy - a quick glance at the bottom of the sheet tells Baekhyun that his name is Park Chanyeol - until he pulls out his guitar and Baekhyun’s eyes widen because holy shit, is that a _Gibson Les Paul?_

“Yeah, Custom, Silver Burst.” He looks smug, and Baekhyun slaps a hand over his mouth. He didn’t mean to say that out loud and sound so impressed at the same time, but _damn_ Silver Burst out of all was fucking rare to get a hold of. Baekhyun had been visiting all the second-hand dealer sites for three months straight (it wasn’t like he could really afford brand new), and not one hit had come up.

It was a sad, pathetic life.

This guy _had_ to be loaded, or have amazing connections that would have landed him with a brand new Les Paul _Custom_.

“Oh, well then,” Baekhyun clears his throat and tries not to stare. “Park Chanyeol?”

The guy hums in agreement, walking to the center of the room and slinging the strap of his majestic guitar over his head before plugging the cable on the floor into the input jack.

“Can I just go for it?”

“Yeah, whenever you’re ready,” Lu Han says with a big smile, shooting Baekhyun a very positive look. The tone of sarcasm Chanyeol had used to practically diss Baekhyun's dream seemed to have flown over Lu Han's head.

Typical.

Chanyeol fiddles a bit with the tuners before he begins.

And it’s an understatement to say he sounds _amazing_. Baekhyun and Lu Han’s jaws physically drop, and it’s already within the first twenty seconds that they both know he’s the guy they need. His audition is less than two minutes long, during which he slides, taps, and vibratos, and it sounds like heaven to their ears.

He finishes and looks up at them with an almost-knowing gaze, before Lu Han just straight up says, “You’re in.”

He doesn't look any happier at the news, which makes Baekhyun think he had already been expecting it. The lack of excitement is clear when he shrugs and says, "Cool," already putting his Gibson back in its case.

"We're going to need to ask you a few questions first, and get your contact details." Baekhyun says, stopping him in his tracks as he's about to head out.

"So eager to get my phone number already, Baby Boy?"

Baekhyun colours, causing Chanyeol to burst into laughter and grin in a poised way that makes him look kind of... hot. But then he opens his mouth and all that attractiveness disappears. "I was kidding, but nice to know you have an emotion other than Bitch Face.”

“ _Excuse_ me?” Baekhyun stammers, because seriously who does this guy think he is? It’s only been five minutes and he’s insulted Baekhyun twice, and made him insanely jealous of his wealth (or connections, Baekhyun still isn’t sure how he could afford his Les Paul).

“You've been evil-eyeing me ever since I stepped into the room,” he smirks again, and Baekhyun feels the heat crawling up his neck.

“You made fun of our dream!”

“Not exactly _our_ dream.” Lu Han, being the ever-so-helpful best friend that he is, points out.

“Yeah, I’m going to have to agree with Deer Eyes on this one, Baby Boy. It’s cliché and mundane.” Chanyeol crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe.

Baekhyun doesn’t think he’s ever sounded less put-together than in that moment. He splutters, trying to find some words, _any_ words at all that doesn't let this Chanyeol kid get the better of him.

“W-well, what do you know? You’re not even a part of this band!”

“Yes, I am,” he replies casually, “as of,” he glances at his watch, “approximately two minutes ago.”

Baekhyun lets the silence hang ever so uncomfortably (for him) between the three of them as he stares at Chanyeol with an open mouth, before Lu Han breaks the quiet and coughs into a closed fist.

“ _Anyways_ , let’s just continue onto these questions, alright?” He smiles, looking at Baekhyun and gently pushing the bottom of his chin up to shut his mouth. “So, you’re okay with practicing Mondays and Thursdays after school until five?” Lu Han asks.

“Yeah.”

“And you have your own instrument?”

Chanyeol just blinks, knocking on his guitar case when Lu Han doesn’t seem to realize.

“Oh. Right.” Lu Han looks down at the paper. "Do you need to count this for credit? Because if so, you have to talk to admin."

"Nah, I'm good."

“Awesome. Just write your phone number down so we can text you the where of our rehearsals. We're almost always in the second music room on the first floor, but in case it's booked, it'll be at one of our member’s house."

Chanyeol nods and scribbles his number down on the piece of paper before giving them an offhanded salute.

“See ya, Deer Eyes. Baby Boy.”

Lu Han grins once he’s disappeared out the door, turning to Baekhyun before his smile drops and he huffs.

“He’s gone, Baekhyun. You can speak now.”

 

-

 

“Alright guys,” Baekhyun claps his hands to get the group’s attention. Lu Han is busy playfully jamming on the keyboard and Jongin is occupied with watching Sehun pummel another Pokémon trainer’s ass into the ground with his Level 52 Blaziken, the two of them lazing on the couch.

“Hold on, Baek, let me just finish up this battle because I’m so close to--” Sehun screeches and stares at his now-empty palms as Baekhyun snatches up his Nintendo DS and shuts it off. _Without saving the game._

“What did you just do?!” Sehun screams at an incredibly high and loud pitch, about to leap off the couch when Jongin pulls him back down to restrain his flailing arms. “You just cost me 50,000 Pokédollars!”

“Sehun, please. You were up against a Hex Maniac; you would have only gotten like 3,000.”

Sehun pauses his whining and counts on his fingers, trying to do the mental math.

“Don’t hurt yourself, Sehun. Just give up.” Jongin pats his back sympathetically. He stretches his legs out and leans back. “What’s up?”

“Well, we found a guy at auditions, except I don’t really kno--”

“Auditions went fucking amazing and Baekhyun and I already chose our lead guitarist,” Lu Han interrupts Baekhyun with a cheeky grin. “His name is Chanyeol, he's seriously talented. He should be here any minute.”

“Chanyeol signed up?” Jongin asks with wide eyes. “Huh, never figured he was that into music.”

“You know him?” Baekhyun asks, after shooting Lu Han a death glare for cutting him off.

“Yeah, he’s in my physics class. Pretty chill guy. Incredible meme collection, for sure."

Baekhyun pulls a face, "Is physics really the place for jokes?"

Jongin looks taken aback. " _Memes_ ," he corrects Baekhyun. "What are you so uptight about?"

"He's just bitter because Chanyeol said his dream was dumb," Lu Han explains, patting him on the back.

Sehun looks to Lu Han before flopping back onto the couch, "He's not wrong."

"I have _explained_ this to you guys before," Baekhyun almost whines, looking the very image of a poor, pathetic puppy. "Can't you just imagine Times Sq--"

"Jesus Christ, does he ever let up?" Chanyeol doesn't seem to mind interrupting as he walks into the music room, sleeves rolled up and tie loosened. He nods his head up at Jongin, "Hey Jongin!", all smiles as he notices the younger on the couch. The two of them pound fists and launch into a conversation that Baekhyun doesn't even want to keep up with, putting his hands on his waist as he waits for them to finish.

"Didn't realize you played guitar," Jongin notes, before tipping his chin up at the guitar strapped to Chanyeol's back, "What is that? A Yamaha?"

"Yeah, just a Mike Stern Signature."

"Holy shit, how much did that cost?" Jongin lets out a low whistle.

"Couple thousand," Chanyeol shrugs, before looking to Baekhyun and noticing the scowl on his face. "Hey there Baby Boy," he pulls the lollipop he's sucking on out of his mouth, flashing his teeth.

" _Baby Boy?_ " Sehun repeats, and he bursts into uncontained laughter as he almost rolls off the couch while Baekhyun represses the urge to strangle him.

"Stop calling me that," Baekhyun grits his teeth as he walks over to the microphone. "Can we please just start practice?"

Lu Han ignores Baekhyun, "Chanyeol, this is Sehun." He introduces the two of them and they knock the sides of their fists in a greeting.

"You know, I like you already," Sehun grins, and Chanyeol looks over at Baekhyun, winking.

It's a good thing Baekhyun doesn't get on with Chanyeol's personality, because ordinarily attention from someone that attractive would have coloured his cheeks a shocking shade of red.

"So, you're keyboard?" Chanyeol asks, and Sehun nods.

"Jongin is bass, Lu Han plays drums, and Baekhyun is rhythm guitar and main vocals," Sehun points at each of them as he circles through their positions. "Supposedly, you're amazing. According to Lu Han, anyways."

"And what did Baby Boy say?" he grins, and Baekhyun answers for Sehun.

"I said _nothing_." His tone is sharp, and he turns his back on them all to fiddle with his own guitar, an acoustic-electric Yamaha, which catches Chanyeol's attention.

"That's a FGX800C, right?" He says, and Baekhyun frowns slightly before nodding. It's not that common of an instrument to name on the spot.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"I've got that one too."

Baekhyun almost wants to roll his eyes. "Of course, you do," he mutters under his breath before giving a fake smile and asking, "What do you think of it?" He's trying to play nice.

Chanyeol shrugs, "It's alright. Prefer my Martin instead."

And of course, Baekhyun adds one more guitar to the mental list he's keeping of Park Chanyeol's instruments. He counts four now, and he wonders if Chanyeol unconsciously brand-drops.

"Well, should we show you some of our stuff?" Lu Han says, saving Baekhyun from having to give some sarcastic reply. He's grateful they can actually get to _playing_ something, given how much time they've wasted with drawn-out introductions and indirect taunts.

Chanyeol just shrugs again in indifference, which seems to be a behavioural trait rapidly getting on Baekhyun's nerves. He goes to sit on the couch, pulling his Yamaha around his body to lay in his lap as he makes himself as comfortable as he can in their uniform. Jongin grabs his bass guitar from its stand, swinging the strap over his head and plugging the cable into its jack.

"An original or what?" Jongin asks Lu Han, who looks to Baekhyun and Sehun.

"Any preference?" Baekhyun directs the question to Chanyeol, who simply looks at him and says, "Something good."

Jackass.

He's not sure if maybe he's reading a little too into his demeanour, because Sehun pulls a face and says, "Well, Call Me Baby is our best song, I think," as if that wasn't an insult that just flew over all their heads.

"You know Day6?" Lu Han asks, and Chanyeol nods. "Okay, let's do Congratulations then," he says, and the rest of them hum in agreement. Despite Chanyeol's piercing gaze and assumed high expectations, given his own level of skill, Baekhyun doesn't feel nervous to perform in front of him. He's good at this, and he wants Chanyeol to know that, with the smug and self-assured front he seems to project.

Lu Han starts, eight strong beats, before the rest of them join in, and Baekhyun opens his mouth.

He starts off strong, his voice clear and soft, and he feels the corners of his mouth automatically turn up as he sings. It feels natural, to be performing like this, and he grins at Jongin, who smiles in response before he steps up to his microphone, adding in the backing vocals when they get to the chorus. He steals a glance at Chanyeol, whose eyes are serious and attentive, and he hopes he's somewhat impressed. Baekhyun isn't one to be immodest (mostly), but he knows he's got a voice on him.

They've practiced it enough times to get it perfect, but it still slightly surprises Baekhyun when they manage a full run-through with no mistakes. Even Sehun comes in on time, which shouldn't be a big deal, but with a teenager as distracted as him, it's the small things that count.

They're not flawless, but they're definitely skilled at what they do, and Baekhyun is expecting some sort of small praise to fall from Chanyeol's lips when they finish.

It figures that he tilts his head, looking only at Baekhyun as he says, "That was good. You came in half a beat too late on guitar on the second chorus though. And your rapping probably needs some work."

Sehun doesn't even bother hiding his laugh, and Baekhyun feels some form of humiliation creep its way up its neck. Jongin and Lu Han don't say anything, and he's not sure if that's for the better or worse.

He simply stutters, "E-excuse me?" in response, a little less composed than he would have liked to sound. He knows he isn't the best guitarist around, but it's the arrogance in Chanyeol's voice that he takes offence in.

"It's okay," Chanyeol says, standing up as he stretches his arms above his head, "I can help you practice."

Baekhyun almost snorts in derision, but a glaring look from Lu Han tells him to shut up and he settles for shooting him another fake smile instead. (He reminds himself to smack Lu Han later).

"Well, how about showing us," Jongin gestures to himself and Sehun, "what you got then? Since we missed it at auditions."

Chanyeol grins, like he had been waiting for this moment, and he grabs the cable Jongin is offering to plug into his guitar. He leans his head to the left to stretch, displaying the muscles in his neck which Baekhyun stares a little too long at.

Chanyeol plays a flawless guitar solo, speed-picking through half of it, and Baekhyun notices he strums basically at the fretboard, especially when playing vibrato. He hates to admit he's impressed, so he settles for clearing his throat and feigning disinterest as best as he can, instead of staring at the muscles in his forearm and the way his fingers fly along the neck of his Yamaha. Sehun and Jongin are obviously less subtle about their elation, hyping Chanyeol up when he finishes with shouts and high-fives.

"That was sick," Jongin says. "Yeah, you're definitely in the band."

Chanyeol laughs, eyes scrunching up in the corners as they slap palms.

 

-

 

For the rest of their time, they don't end up teaching Chanyeol anything else as much as fooling around and occasionally playing something, which is something Baekhyun doesn’t find much pleasure in when they’re playing random melodies that don’t require vocals. He also doesn't feel like joining in on guitar when Chanyeol is something of an expert at it, and his own contribution will be completely overshadowed. And to top it all off, it doesn’t help that Chanyeol has been sitting extremely leisurely on top of the amplifier the entire time, sucking on a new lollipop, his tongue darting out to lick his lips every once in a while.

Baekhyun ends up sulking on the couch, playing around on guitar as he tries to find a good melody for his current work in progress. It's hard to listen over the noise that all of them seem so intent on making, especially when Sehun fools around on the synthesizer and ends up distracting Baekhyun from his melancholy mood and tunes.

He doesn't get much done, as expected, especially when he steals a glance at Chanyeol every few minutes to see the guitarist with his eyes closed, arm flexed as his fingers pick the strings. It's attractive, to say the least, and Baekhyun doesn't realize how warm the back of his neck is until he catches Chanyeol's eye and his gaze immediately darts back to the blank page of his lyric book. It's enough for him to reassess his mental state and wonder if a sweaty condition and a consistent dry mouth is attributable to developing an attraction. But then he remembers the times Chanyeol opens his mouth, and that possibility dissipates immediately.

(He makes a mental reminder to check WebMD once he gets home).

It's not like it was a big deal that he had totally dissed his goals and aspirations within five literal seconds (a Lie) or that the nickname 'Baby Boy' was still sticking (another Lie), but he kept smirking at Baekhyun throughout their practice: a hint that he _knew_ how much he was bothering him, and licking his lips in a way that made Baekhyun feel even more heaty and flustered.

Baekhyun is so glad when the hour hand hits the number five on the clock and he jumps off the couch, snapping his book shut.

“Alright, well that was a _great_ practice, thanks guys,” Baekhyun says, not holding back on the sarcasm laced in his tone.

He doesn’t wait for their reply and grabs his guitar and bag off the floor, before bolting out the door as Lu Han yells after Baekhyun, asking him why he’s in such a rush.

 

-

 

“He’s a butt,” Baekhyun scrunches up his nose, practically boring holes into the side of Chanyeol’s face.

“He’s a butt who’s really good at guitar.” Jongin pipes in, stealing a fry off Sehun’s plate.

“Just look at him standing there, all smug with his tray of, what is that, nachos?” Baekhyun pulls a face. “All that fake cheese just melted over those chips.”

“They’re surprisingly good,” Sehun says, whacking Jongin’s hand after his fifth stolen fry.

“I’d like to have unclogged arteries, free of any plastic cheese thank you very much,” Baekhyun reaches over, grabbing a handful of fries off Sehun’s plate and shoving them in his mouth as he angrily chews them.

“But apparently upping your cholesterol with oil and grease-dripping chips is okay,” Lu Han adds, and Baekhyun shoots him a look.

“I thought you would have liked him,” Jongin says, “he’s _so_ funny, and he’s been everywhere, even to _Australia_. He showed me a video of him getting punched by a kangaroo, man, I nearly pissed myself.”

Baekhyun rolls his eyes and mumbles, “Serves him right,” under his breath before Chanyeol catches his eye again, walking towards an empty table in the middle of the cafeteria. “Does he have to carry his guitar around with him _everywhere_? We get it, he’s rich and has like twenty of them. He doesn’t need to flaunt his wealth in our faces.”

Lu Han, Jongin and Sehun share a look before Baekhyun turns and looks at them, eyebrows knitting together. “What? Why are you all looking at me like that?”

Sehun hastily averts his gaze, “Nope, no reason.”

Baekhyun shrugs, a scowl back on his face as he murmurs out, "Whatever".

“Why does this guy bother you so much anyways?” Jongin asks, and Baekhyun blinks at him for a good minute.

“He doesn’t _bother_ me,” Baekhyun bites out. “He’s just like, a little annoying, that’s all.”

Lu Han raises an eyebrow, "You sound jealous," and Baekhyun laughs in disbelief.

"I'm not jealous."

"Is it because he gave you pointers? It's okay to need some help."

"I don't need help, I can rap fine." Baekhyun gripes.

“You seemed really pissed off yesterday,” Lu Han mentions.

“I had to be somewhere.”

“Where?”

“Um, home,” Baekhyun meekly replies.

“Wow, that is, uh, quite the social life you have there,” Sehun quips, and Baekhyun flips him off.

He glances over at Chanyeol again, eyes focusing on the younger’s forearms as he picks up soggy nacho after soggy nacho, sticking his tongue out to catch the dripping cheese. Baekhyun swallows and pushes himself back from the table, muttering something about class as he scrambles up off his chair half an hour before the bell rings.

 

-

 

Another three weeks pass, in which Baekhyun manages to write absolutely nothing in his lyric book but doodle small drawings of him attacking his friends in choice ways with his guitar for their betrayal and lack of dedication.

Rehearsal Number Two had involved Chanyeol showing up at Sehun’s house with a takeaway bag of Nando’s, something Jongin _obviously_ couldn’t refuse, and so Baekhyun’s disloyal trio of friends ditched his plans of practice in favour of pigging out on PERi-PERi chicken for the hour and a half whilst Baekhyun sat in the corner practicing his newfound anti-Nando’s pact and ignoring the delicious smell while his stomach rumbled.

In Rehearsal Number Three, Chanyeol had walked into the music room playing on his Nintendo DS, causing Sehun to shriek in excitement and pull out his own to battle against Chanyeol in Pokémon Emerald. Rehearsals Number Four and Five then had Jongin and Lu Han bringing their own Nintendos and all of them (sans Baekhyun, of course) engaged in a four-way battle as Baekhyun sat in the corner trying to devise a plan of how to steal and burn their DS’s.

Then Chanyeol brought along a seven-stringed guitar for Rehearsal Six, and Jongin couldn’t help but try it out, until Sehun had whined practically three seconds later that it was his turn. It took Lu Han a good ten minutes to break up Jongin and Sehun’s little argument, during which Jongin had reasoned that Sehun wasn’t even a guitarist, and Sehun countered that it was never too late to try and learn. Baekhyun had put in earphones throughout the whole quarrel and blasted his guilty pleasure of Ariana Grande, singing _“I got one less problem without you”_ and wishing with a heavy heart that the lyrics were true in his situation.

By Rehearsal Number Seven, Baekhyun hadn’t expected anything less when Chanyeol arrived with a copy of 22 Jump Street and Sehun had demanded they watch it right then and there (no one could really disagree what with it being Sehun’s own house and all). Baekhyun had ended up squished between Lu Han and Chanyeol on the couch, focusing more on keeping his body from leaking any sweat than the plotline of whatever Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill were doing.

Baekhyun had seriously contemplated not even showing up for Rehearsal Number Eight, but his devotion (and lack of a social life) prompted him to come anyways, walking into the music room to see the four of them dancing to the Macarena, complete with all the actions. Baekhyun had stared at his bandmates as the song switched to U Can’t Touch This, backing up into a corner and shaking his head furiously when Jongin and Sehun had tried to get him to join in. He spent the rest of practice doodling more ways to mutilate his friends in the margins of his lyric book, glancing up every once in a while to see the four of them doing the Conga line.

 

-

 

It’s on the following Monday when Chanyeol corners Baekhyun in the stairwell, catching him between class with an all-too-familiar grin on his face.

“Hey Baby Boy,” Chanyeol greets him, arm outstretched as he leans over Baekhyun. “Got time to talk?”

Baekhyun stares up at him, eyes narrow as his arms tighten around his books. “I have a Biology class to get to.”

Baekhyun hopes to God that Chanyeol doesn’t know he has a study period next (or is actually in Biology) because that would be too embarrassing to explain.

Chanyeol twists his mouth, checking his watch, “It’s okay, you have three minutes.”

“What do you want, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun huffs, looking at any place that isn’t his face.

“Why do you hate me?”

Baekhyun’s eyes blow wide at his boldness, and his gaze flickers up to see Chanyeol smiling wide.

“Wha--why do you say that?”

Chanyeol shrugs, bringing a hand up to casually scratch behind his ear, “Maybe it’s because your mood goes to shit every time you see me.”

“No it doesn’t,” Baekhyun weakly denies, and it’s the eyebrow raise that forces him to admit it. “Okay, okay, you’re… a little annoying”

“A little,” Chanyeol repeats.

“Just a little.”

“The wind is ‘a little’ annoying. You act as though you’ve plotted out my murder in one hundred different ways. Seriously, why don’t you like me?”

Baekhyun takes a deep breath. “I really don’t want to get into this right now, okay? I’ll see you at practice.” His tone cuts sharp at the end, but he can’t bring himself to care. He makes to sidestep past Chanyeol before the latter’s arm is shooting out, trapping Baekhyun in between himself and the wall.

“I’d rather talk about it now than when the rest are around,” Chanyeol says, and Baekhyun suppresses the urge to eye roll. He wants to listen to some cliché radio pop right now and torture himself with endless pictures of guitars he’ll never be able to touch with his own hands, not stand in the hallway listing the reasons why Park Chanyeol is such an Asshole.

“Chanyeol, I have class and--”

“Calm down, your corner in study hall will still be untouched by the time we’re done with this conversation.”

Baekhyun gulps, “What corner?"

Playing it cool probably won't lessen the mortification, but it doesn't hurt to try.

“I know you have a free period," Chanyeol rolls his eyes.

"How?" Baekhyun asks, trying to turn the conversation around.

"I pass by study hall during this period block from time to time," he smirks, and there's an underlying hint to his tone that makes Baekhyun think he might be talking about something else other than bathroom runs.

"Well," Baekhyun begins, trying to be as respectable as possible, "it starts in less than a minute, so can I please go?"

"To your sixty minutes of free time?"

"Yes," Baekhyun grits out, "I might not have class, but _you_ do."

"I don't think French is going to miss me much."

"You take French?" Baekhyun is surprised, because that definitely doesn't seem like an elective that Chanyeol would have picked, "huh, I didn't take you for a language-type."

Chanyeol is about to answer - probably defending how smart he actually is, like Baekhyun hasn't heard enough about that from Jongin - but then a loud ringing fills the hallway, and he watches Chanyeol fumble for his phone in his pocket. Baekhyun, not one to turn away an opportunity when it presents itself, chooses to slip away and head around the corner before Chanyeol can catch up. Normally, he would have liked to berate Chanyeol for having his phone on during school, just as more ammunition, but escaping is a priority.

He hears Chanyeol yell after him only to be drowned out by the bell ringing, signaling the start of the next period that Chanyeol is now definitely late for.

 

-

 

Come 3:30pm, Baekhyun decides to take his time in getting to practice. They're in the music room today, and it's become so habitual that Baekhyun has started guessing what they are going to do to piss him off before each practice. He's predicting another movie.

So it's a surprise when he walks into rehearsal ten minutes later to see Lu Han sitting at the drums and Jongin practicing one of their covers with Chanyeol. Sehun is at his keyboard on his DS as always, considering his dedication is nonexistent unless it's finishing the Generation III games.

"Where have you been?" Lu Han furrows his brow at Baekhyun, pointing a drumstick at the clock. "We've been waiting for you to start practice."

Baekhyun just looks at him, not sure what he's supposed to say, considering his friends (all thanks to Chanyeol) have been fucking around for the past three weeks.

"Waiting for _me_?" He almost splutters, which isn't his most attractive look. " _I_ have been sitting around for _weeks_ while the four of you-" he points an accusing finger at each of them, "have been wasting time, all thanks to-" he glares at Chanyeol, "this kid."

Chanyeol holds his hands up immediately in his defense, "Hey, don't look at me."

Baekhyun rolls his eyes, "Oh, who else was it that brought food and movies and cool instruments and tacky game consoles?"

"Hey!" Sehun protests, and Baekhyun looks over at him, biting out a half-genuine, "Sorry."

"Not my fault you didn't want to join in," Chanyeol gives him a look of apathy, which only pisses Baekhyun off more.

"This is practice for our band, buddy. Not your teenage bedroom."

Chanyeol is about to retort, but Lu Han steps in as an attempt to diffuse the ridiculously high tension in the room, "Ok, we have been really distracted lately, but promise, we're all focused on the competition now."

It doesn't soothe Baekhyun's temper as immediate as he would have liked, but he ends up muttering out a, "Fine." He takes out his lyric book (flipping to a page that doesn't contain any murderous drawings) and joining Sehun sitting cross-legged on the floor, letting his anger simmer.

Chanyeol doesn't say anything else, and Lu Han bristles with self-satisfaction at his conflict resolution. Jongin and Sehun share a look before giving Baekhyun their undivided attention, agreeing subliminally that they don't feel like being on the receiving end of his irritation either.

 

-

 

They end up teaching Chanyeol three original songs, that he, of course, picks up immediately and has memorized by the time their ninety minutes of practice is over. It's not much progress, if they averaged it out over the past month, but it's sufficient headway; so much so that Baekhyun even throws Chanyeol a smile.

Even though it disappears as soon as they make eye contact, because Baekhyun remembers Park Chanyeol hasn't even tried to be a Decent Human Being and isn't deserving yet of Baekhyun's friendliness (his pettiness is strong).

Sehun claps his hands together, walking around his keyboard to pat Chanyeol on the back, "I am so thankful Lu Han and Baekhyun found you," he proclaims to the room. "We might actually be able to win the competition now."

"Making us sound like we're fucking talentless idiots," Jongin mutters.

Sehun tries to explain himself, "Well, Chanyeol has a _gift_."

"And us?" Lu Han raises an eyebrow as he rests his arms on Jongin and Baekhyun's shoulders, who have both crossed their arms in anticipation of Sehun's answer.

"Well, you guys are alright," Sehun says.

"Alright," Jongin repeats.

"So, if we had to compare, we're like those pets that can balance things on their heads and Chanyeol is Koko the gorilla." Baekhyun cynically simplifies Sehun's point.

"Well that's a bit unfair," Sehun counters, his hands on his hips. "Jongin's balance is for shit."

It's understandable when Jongin snatches Sehun's DS, shoving it in his bag before running out the door. The three of them watch as Sehun legs it after him, shouting profanities and threats about the demise of Kim Jongin if he gets his Nintendo back to see his progress deleted.

"Incredible," Chanyeol muses, packing his guitar away - a Checksave Stratocaster this time, and Baekhyun counts six guitars now - as Lu Han and Baekhyun just look at each other.

"Serves Sehun right."

"He's probably stuffing it down his pants as we speak," Lu Han predicts, throwing his drumsticks in his bag.

"He's not actually going to delete his game, is he?" Chanyeol asks as the three of them walk out the room. Baekhyun flicks the light switch off, closing the door behind them.

"Hard to believe, but Jongin doesn't actually have a death wish."

"Also, Sehun would never speak to him again, and that's a lot worse."

Chanyeol chuckles, "A quiet Sehun is a fate worse than death?"

"When you're the one on the receiving end," Lu Han points out. They walk through the front doors to the sight of Sehun trying to grab his DS from Jongin's hand, stretched above his head.

"Say you're sorry!" Jongin demands.

"Sorry for what?" Sehun, being the ever-petulant child he is, decides to play dumb. They go back and forth like that for a while, until Lu Han plucks the DS from Jongin's unsuspecting fingers and holds it hostage for an apology.

"Sehun, Jongin, make up." Lu Han wearily says.

Jongin's eyes widen, and he wildly gestures at Sehun who has got his nose up in the air and arms crossed. He's about to protest, but a glare from Lu Han shuts him up, and he mumbles out a very reluctant, "Sorry," as Lu Han hands Sehun his Nintendo back.

"Yeah, yeah, me too," Sehun hastily replies, more concerned with flipping open his DS to make sure his Pokémon party is okay.

"Actual children," Baekhyun comments, thankful that Lu Han gets to be the one to deal with them. It takes a special kind of patience to deal with Jongin and Sehun, and Baekhyun already exhausts his on a regular basis dealing with band and their inability to practice when Chanyeol is around. How they even managed to pull their attention together for a practice is beyond Baekhyun's belief, considering it has been a month since their last actual rehearsal, sans Chanyeol of course.

The good days, Baekhyun likes to ironically call them. It's not that Chanyeol is distracting and annoying all the time, yet at the same time Baekhyun wouldn't go out of his way to correct that impression.

"So, Baby Boy, should we get the bus?" Chanyeol is still standing beside him, and he tilts his head to the side, hands in his pockets as he smiles.

"We?" Baekhyun has to repeat, sounding ruder than he intended to come off. Not that Chanyeol notices.

"You know, a word used to describe yourself and at least one other person? As in, should we-" he gestures to himself and Baekhyun, "get the bus before we have to wait another ten minutes?"

"See, when you say we," Baekhyun replies, "that implies us two. As in getting the bus together."

"I'm not asking you to elope and marry me, Baby Boy," Chanyeol laughs. "You take the 151, don't you?"

Baekhyun's surprise reveals itself in a furrowed brow and wide eyes, and Chanyeol shrugs. "You miss things when you spend so much time hating someone," he grins.

"I don't _hate_ you." Baekhyun corrects him as he starts to walk off, pointlessly waving goodbye to Sehun, Jongin and Lu Han (their collective attention now preoccupied in squabbling over what move Sehun should have chosen to defeat a Level 72 Gardevoir).

"Well, you're definitely not my biggest fan."

"Nothing gets past you," Baekhyun quips. He can't help that along with his guitar skills, Chanyeol also seems to have a natural talent in bringing out his insolence.

"What can I say, I'm a keen observer." Chanyeol smirks, brushing his hair away from his forehead. It flops back down anyways, and he shakes it out of his eyes, forcing Baekhyun to look away before his hormones betray his common sense in adding another point to the pro column for Park Chanyeol.

"Yeah, you're a real talent," Baekhyun remarks.

"As I've been told many times."

"Oh, poor you, having to listen to people compliment you," He replies snidely.

Chanyeol grins, ignoring his sarcasm, "It can be quite the tribulation."

"Oh, _please_ ," Baekhyun says to himself, wondering if Chanyeol comes with a setting that isn't Arrogant Douche.

They reach the stop just in time to catch the bus.

"After you," Chanyeol gestures to Baekhyun, and he almost wants to flip him off.

He settles for saying, "That's right, after me," with a smile as he scans his travel pass and makes his way to the back of the bus.

Chanyeol chooses to sit in the row in front of him, back to the window, letting them both lean their guitars against the seats next to them for space. Baekhyun was hoping he would sit on the other side of the bus, and therefore end their conversation for the day (because even five minutes in his presence is already quite a struggle), but it seems his fairy godmother is off-duty.

"So, what is this competition you guys keep bringing up?" Chanyeol asks.

"Did you even read the flyer we put up when you auditioned?" Baekhyun retorts, half-curious as to why Chanyeol doesn't know about Unsigned. "Shouldn't you know about it anyways, being some guitar idol or something?"

"I prefer the term, Guitar Master, but that's not the point," he grins. "Some Battle of the Bands thing?"

"Yeah, basically," Baekhyun looks out the window as he continues talking. "It's called Unsigned, and it's in exactly two months, on April 9th. You have to perform a cover and an original, and the audience chooses the winner at the end. Cash prize of five thousand."

Chanyeol twists the corner of his mouth, and Baekhyun glances over when he doesn't say anything. "What?"

"Yeah, no thanks. I'm out."

"What do you mean, you're out? You can't be _'out'_ ," Baekhyun makes finger quotations in the air.

"I can be out. Not really my thing." He adjusts in his seat, loosening his tie as he opens the top button on his shirt.

"We are doing this as a band. You are now part of that band, regrettably." Baekhyun remarks, saying the last word under his breath. Chanyeol's disregard was not going to fly with him.

"You guys could just do it without me," Chanyeol suggests, and Baekhyun deliberates on whether he does actually possess any common sense.

"Perform in a competition. As a band. Without a lead guitarist. Yeah, that sounds like a fucking great idea."

"Worth a shot," Chanyeol beams, an eyebrow raised.

"We signed up weeks ago, with hopes to get a lead guitarist. We now have one. You're doing this," Baekhyun says. It's not a statement, but more of a demand, which Chanyeol seems to find some humour in.

He starts to laugh, "You can't really make me."

"I fucking can to," Baekhyun narrows his eyes, fists clenched at his side. Chanyeol pushes his shoulders back, turning around to face Baekhyun full on as he kneels on the seat.

"And how exactly are you going to do that? You don't seem like the fighting type." He tilts his head, inquisitive and mocking all at the same time, and Baekhyun hates that Chanyeol wears smug well, considering the look on his face is undeniably hot. He doesn't know where he gets the confidence to challenge him with a straight face, an eyebrow raised and eyes defiant.

"Just try me."

He doesn't mean to lick his lips, a habit of his, and he _swears_ that Chanyeol's eyes flicker down to his tongue before he swallows. With the look in the guitarist's eyes, it almost seems like he's dumbstruck. Baekhyun would have loved to soak in the moment even more, but then the bus slows down and the automated voice comes on, announcing it's his stop.

He grabs his guitar and waits for the bus to stop before pushing on the door, looking back at a wordless Chanyeol and winking.

Despite the fact that Chanyeol seems stubborn enough about not performing for Unsigned (something he isn't looking forward to telling Lu Han), Baekhyun can't help but smile as he walks down the street, satisfied that for once, he left him speechless.

 

-

 

"So, let's just find someone else," Baekhyun says, and Jongin groans, rubbing his hands over his face.

"But Chanyeol is fucking amazing," he protests. "We can't just replace him."

"Well, we _could_ ," Baekhyun reasons, "I wouldn't mind."

Lu Han smacks him on the side of the head with a rolled-up piece of paper, "We are not replacing him. We just have to talk to him again, okay?" He stares at each of them, even snapping his fingers in front of Sehun's face to get his attention away from his DS.

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Sehun angrily waves his hand away, "stop distracting me. I'm close to getting the black flute."

"How many repels did you use?" Jongin asks, leaning over to glance at the screen.

"Like ten. Fucking Spindas."

"You defeated Flannery already?" Baekhyun asks, and Sehun nods.

"Going Petalburg Gym now," Sehun answers, and Baekhyun and Lu Han share a glance before shrugging and moving around to watch Sehun defeat his PokéDad.

 

-

 

As a musician, Baekhyun doesn't feel like gym needs to be mandatory (something he's tried to tell the guidance counselor numerous times). It's not that he's bad (he thinks himself fairly decent at a few sports) but he'd rather limit his time spent on the court.

Being mid-February, the school apparently thinks that is the best time to start the swimming portion of their syllabus, making Baekhyun consider them as some sort of sadists. Sehun and him get dressed (or undressed, rather), and Baekhyun is already shivering with his towel wrapped around his shoulders, unlike Sehun who is standing tall and unbothered by the slight breeze.

"It's not that bad," Sehun rolls his eyes, trying to wrestle Baekhyun's towel off him.

"You're fucking joking. I'm practically an ice cube right now." Baekhyun says, teeth chattering on purpose for effect.

"The pool is heated, remember that," Sehun reminds him, and they join the other students on the outside bleachers by the pool.

Baekhyun stares at the water in front of him, "Think I can just jump in right now?" The temperature honestly isn't that bad, but he likes to be overdramatic, especially when it involves some form of exercise. Sehun drapes his own towel over Baekhyun for more layers just to shut him up.

"Hey Sehun. Baby Boy." Chanyeol drops down to sit right next to Baekhyun, and Sehun gives him a wave in return. Not only did Chanyeol switch into their gym period two weeks ago, but it makes it worse when he tries to converse with them.

"What's up with you?" Chanyeol leans his head to the side, and Baekhyun makes a point of looking away to avoid answering.

"He's cold," Sehun explains, and Baekhyun tries to subtly whack him. Great, now he sounds like a pathetic child.

"I am conserving body heat," Baekhyun corrects Sehun, in a sad attempt to reclaim some dignity.

Chanyeol snickers, raising his arms to stretch them behind his head. And that's when Baekhyun's eyes widen at his muscles.

He's sort of seen them through his uniform whenever he strums his guitar. But these were the Real Deal, unhidden and on display. He can't help that his eyes wander to Chanyeol's chest and abdomen because they're just right _there_ , and then his mouth just goes _dry_.

Of course, Baekhyun's shit-ass luck means Chanyeol notices his gaze and reddening ears, and he actually smirks.

"Like what you see?"

Baekhyun almost chokes, but then their gym teacher finally comes to start their class and he's saved from having to answer. He chooses to shift closer to Sehun and ignore Chanyeol's laugh, huddled in his towels.

 

-

 

Baekhyun takes a deep breath before he sheds his cotton layer and lines up at the edge of the pool. They're doing relays, and Sehun has almost reached the pool wall. He's still shivering from their warm-up, which was ten minutes of laps that have given him sore arms and the worry that he will be too tired to play guitar later on (he obviously didn't think too much on stretching beforehand).

And with Chanyeol looking at him with some intense stare from two lanes down, Baekhyun is feeling somewhat self-conscious. It's not like he's made of some chiseled marble, but he's got defined abs and slight muscle. Not something he likes to show off, but unfortunately gym class doesn't care about that.

They make eye contact, and Baekhyun grins, knowing Sehun is going to reach the pool edge before Chanyeol's teammate. He counts the seconds before Sehun's hand slaps the wall, and he dives into the water, kicking his legs as he front-crawls to the other end of the pool and tumble-turns. He knows he's got a good head start on Chanyeol, which shouldn't matter, but his competitive streak surfaces, and Baekhyun kicks strong before reaching the starting block.

He stands up, putting his goggles on top of his head and pushing his hair back with a premature victory smile.

Sehun crouches over, pointing a finger to the left, and Baekhyun follows his direction to see Chanyeol already out of the pool and high-fiving his relay team.

Well, then.

 

-

 

It's a godsend that their school has showers, because after a toasty rinse, Baekhyun is feeling better when he walks into the music room after classes, guitar case in hand as he props it up against the wall.

"Where's Jongin?" He asks Lu Han, who is drawing out a schedule on the whiteboard.

He shrugs, "I don't know, probably coming with Chanyeol."

Baekhyun doesn't hide his face as he glowers at his name, thankful he doesn't need to pretend to be nice (well, civil anyways) for now. He's still bitter about his relay defeat.

He starts to set up, helping Sehun with his keyboard before they rearrange the microphone and amplifiers. Even though the smaller music room is hardly ever needed for class, the department still forces them to clean up after themselves or they'll revoke their access.

Jongin and Chanyeol come in a few minutes later, guitars on both their backs as Jongin places his in the stand and sheds his uniform blazer. Chanyeol rolls his shirt sleeves up, smirking at Baekhyun who is avoiding his eye.

"Upset about something, Baby Boy?" Chanyeol questions, walking around as he leans forward so they're at eye-level.

"Absolutely nothing at all," Baekhyun retorts, plastering on one of those fake smiles he's getting good at. He even gives him a sarcastic thumbs-up, and Chanyeol just chuckles before he crosses back to his section of the set, right of the microphone.

He nods his head to the whiteboard Lu Han is wheeling to the front, "What's that?"

"This, is our schedule for Unsigned," Lu Han slowly says. "We have eight weeks until the competition, and we really need to practice, especially with exams coming up."

At this, Sehun groans as he flops onto the couch, "Don't mention exams. I can already see the D's on my transcript."

"Maybe if you didn't care about the Elite Four more than math," Jongin points out, and Sehun tries to subtly hide his DS as if he didn't take it out right when Lu Han started to talk.

"That means fourteen practices until the day," Lu Han continues, ignoring Sehun.

"We'll also need to find a new lead guitarist," Baekhyun remarks, his comment pointed at Chanyeol. He notices that he brought his Martin D28 Dreadnought and he stares in bitterness.

Chanyeol responds with a confusing expression. "And why is that?"

"Well, you're not up for Unsigned, so we'll just need to find a proper guitarist, one who _can_ handle a stage," Baekhyun casually shrugs.

"I can handle a stage," Chanyeol scoffs, sounding offended.

"Then why aren't you doing the competition?" He challenges him, "Surely you must be scared of something."

"I never said I wasn't going to do the competition. Aren't we all in this band together, Baby Boy?" Chanyeol's smile is sickeningly sweet, it's practically maple syrup.

"But you fucking sai--"

"Great!" Lu Han cuts in, interrupting whatever Baekhyun was going to say. "We're not going to waste any more time," and he glares at Baekhyun, as if _he_ was the one changing his mind, "so let's start practice. We probably should choose the songs we want to do first."

"I vote Power," Sehun sticks his hand up. "It's our best one."

"It still needs some work though," Jongin points out as he drops down on the couch next to him. "Maybe Call Me Baby?"

"We could, but do you think it'll win?"

"I vote Power," Chanyeol comments, and just to spite him, Baekhyun sides with Jongin.

"We're better at Call Me Baby."

"We can always _practice_ it," Chanyeol feels the need to point out.

"Yeah, and we'll just end up wasting time and having to drop out of the competition."

A highly absurd and overreaching accusation, but Baekhyun is in no mood.

Lu Han steps in to break the tie, "Why don't we try and clean up Power as best as we can today, and then decide by the end of next rehearsal? Chanyeol will also have a better feel for the song."

No one says anything to dispute him, and Chanyeol gives Baekhyun a smug grin.

"Yeah, we'll see if you can hack an actual audience," Baekhyun snaps, before stalking off to his microphone and pretending it needs to be adjusted.

"I can fucking hack an audience," Chanyeol replies, straightening up. "At least I don't fuck up on the beat."

"I don't," Baekhyun almost bangs into Sehun's keyboard with the speed in which he turns around, an accusatory finger pointed at Chanyeol. "My timing is fine."

"Fine, maybe. Not perfect," Chanyeol replies from his position on top of the amp.

Jongin and Sehun share a glance before shrinking further into the couch, trying to avoid getting in the middle of this. Even Lu Han joins them, sitting on the arm of the couch out of the way, eyes wide, eyebrows raised, and his mouth twisted in unease.

"Perfect in your definition. I don't follow your standards," Baekhyun rolls his eyes, arms crossed.

"You must really enjoy being at bare minimum then," Chanyeol stands up, taking a step towards Baekhyun.

It's discomforting that he's using his height - or subtly trying, at least - to intimidate Baekhyun, but he holds his position, eyes dark, "You should probably be a little more courteous to the singer of this band. After all, we're all in this together, right? That means learning manners and knowing where you stand."

"I know I stand a good four inches above you." He's got his own arms crossed, and they're mere centimeters apart now, Chanyeol staring Baekhyun down with a smirk on his face.

Flustered, Baekhyun spins around and walks back to the microphone, "Whatever, we'll see in two months just how _amazing_ you are on stage," before shooting a look at Lu Han, Jongin and Sehun. "What the fuck are you guys doing? Can we start practice or what?"

The three of them just leap up, scrambling to their instruments to avoid any more gripes from Baekhyun, who is incredibly pissed. Jongin waits for Baekhyun to get his own guitar out of its case before leaning over, whispering to Lu Han, "Do you think they'll ever get along?"

"I hope so, or we're all fucked."

 

-

 

Three practices later, and they're definitely not any friendlier with each other. Lu Han, Jongin and Sehun don't even think there was a higher setting for 'Pissed Off' on Baekhyun, but unfortunately, they seem to be on the receiving end of it.

"I really don't like him," Baekhyun sneers.

Lu Han, Jongin and Sehun don't even look up, their eyes all focused on their coursework in front of them as they say, "We know," in unison.

"I hope all of his guitars snap in half," Baekhyun says angrily, his pen digging a little too hard into the paper he isn't even glancing at.

"We know," Lu Han says.

"And then catch on fire."

"We know," Sehun says.

"And then get stolen."

At this, Jongin looks up, "Why would someone steal broken, burning instruments?"

Baekhyun narrows his eyes, "To see Park Chanyeol suffer."

"Are you that someone?" Sehun asks.

"I could be."

"Well, we wish you luck. Remember your balaclava and lighter fluid." Lu Han pats him on the back. "Now, can we get back to our business project?"

Baekhyun lets out a sigh, finally picking up the piece of paper in front of him to skim it over. He's not even quiet for a full minute before he's murmuring, "I really don't like him."

At this, the three of them give up, balling up as many papers as they can and hurtling them at Baekhyun, who ducks in his chair whimpering out apologies.

 

-

 

A little more than five weeks before the competition, Baekhyun has his second solo encounter with Chanyeol. He's out picking up groceries, when he passes by the basketball court on his way home and has to do a double take.

Not that it should be surprising to see him, but the beginning of March isn't exactly good spring weather yet, and Chanyeol doesn't seem to be holding back on the summer wear. (Granted, he is exercising, but Baekhyun is still playing Captain Petty).

He immediately turns his face, trying to avoid being spotted as he quickly shuffles along the pavement. The grocery bags in both hands are weighing him down so his arms end up behind him when he jogs down the street, Naruto-style.

Not the most attractive look, especially in his oversized hoodie and glasses, but when does luck ever befall Baekhyun when he's presentable?

"Hey, Baby Boy!" He hears Chanyeol's voice yell from across the court. In hindsight, Baekhyun probably should have kept jogging, but something forces him to stop and he turns around, coming face-to-face with a sweaty, grinning Chanyeol.

"What do you want." Baekhyun mutters, shifting a bag to his other hand to push his glasses up his nose.

"Well, don't you look nerdy," Chanyeol chuckles, and Baekhyun rolls his eyes, looking away so he doesn't get sucked into those muscles again, now that they're all slick with sweat and exposed.

"Yes, I wear glasses sometimes, happy?" He snaps, mentally spouting some choice profanities.

Chanyeol's eyes widen, "Hey, I didn't say anything about your glasses. I was talking about that shirt," he nods at Baekhyun's clothing.

Baekhyun glances down, realizing he's wearing his math joke shirt under his hoodie - the one for grocery runs and home-wear.

" _What do you call a snake 3.14 metres long?_ " Chanyeol reads, and Baekhyun reluctantly stretches the bottom out so he can get the punchline.

"A pi-thon," Baekhyun mutters, and Chanyeol stifles a laugh.

"That's adorable," he says, tone coming off slightly sarcastic, but the smile on his face is genuine.

"Well, great, now that you've seen the real dorky me," Baekhyun raises his arms out to the side, twirling around for effect, "can I go now?"

"What, got a big date with four bags of chips?" Chanyeol raises an eyebrow, and Baekhyun feels the mortification instantly slither up the back of his neck.

"It's not _four!_ " He disputes, stealing a glance at the grocery bag to check how many he ended up chucking into the basket before check-out. Midterms were a binge period, and that meant stocking up on snacks unfortunate enough to be victims of Baekhyun's study diet.

"Hey, I'm just kidding," Chanyeol holds his hands up in front of him, "what you do on your own time..."

"Fuck off," Baekhyun glares at him. "I'm leaving." He turns around, straightening up as he calmly tries to walk back home with some poise, before he hears Chanyeol's voice again.

"I'm serious, by the way."

At this, his curiosity piques, and he stops.

"Serious about what?"

"Teaching you. Don't you want to learn from the best?" He flashes his teeth, but Baekhyun just continues walking on, before he suddenly feels fingers around his wrist. He glances back at Chanyeol, who seems to realize that was the wrong move, and he immediately drops Baekhyun's wrist, balling his hand into a loose fist at his side. He tries again, "I mean, you're good, but you could be better."

"At?" Baekhyun asks for the clarification, mainly to hear Chanyeol compliment him. Sort of. (He'll take what he can get).

"Your guitar skills. Your timing isn't the best."

"Wow, you get one song wrong," Baekhyun says, one hand on his hip, "you really think you're all that, huh?"

"Well," Chanyeol says slowly, "it's not just that one song. You're kind of consistent with that mistake."

"Well, shit, since you know so much, why don't you just become lead singer and guitarist and I'll go watch from the sidelines like some talentless imp."

"I didn't actually insult your singing," Chanyeol says, running a hand through his hair to push it out of his face, "Just your rapping."

"Oh, well _that_ makes it all the better," Baekhyun sarcastically responds.

Chanyeol doesn't reply straightaway, tilting his head with an inquisitive look on his face as he stares at him, causing Baekhyun to stammer out, "What are you doing?"

Chanyeol just shrugs, before he turns on his heel and walks off back onto the court. Baekhyun, not one to be left just hanging, frowns and follows him, "Hey, I asked you something."

He stands proud and tall, hands on his hips as he watches Chanyeol take a seat on the bench and pick up his water bottle on the ground, taking a long drink. Baekhyun clears his throat, looking away before he stares at Chanyeol's neck again, the veins prominent and sweat clearly dripping down his chest before disappearing under his shirt.

Chanyeol still doesn't say anything, until Baekhyun practically stomps his foot in exasperation, and he finally squints at him, the sun in his eyes.

"You really can't take criticism, can you?"

Baekhyun is slightly thrown-off. "Um, I _can_ , just not from the likes of you."

"And what exactly, is so bad about me?"

Baekhyun laughs, "Well that list could go on for a while."

"All I'm saying is, if you want to improve, I'm offering my services. Take them or leave them." Chanyeol bends over, grabbing a tin from his bag before opening it up and pulling out a long, rolled paper. He fumbles in his pocket for a lighter, before he sticks the narrower end of the paper in his mouth and lights it.

"Is that a cigarette?" Baekhyun narrows his eyes at the rolled paper in his hand, pulling a face.

"A joint," Chanyeol clarifies, taking a long pull before holding it out. Baekhyun wrinkles his nose, and Chanyeol laughs. "It's not going to kill you."

 _You might_ , Baekhyun thinks in his head, before saying, "I don't smoke."

"No time like the present," Chanyeol grins. "Maybe it'll loosen you up."

"Are you implying that I'm some tight-ass?" Baekhyun says, regretting it the moment it comes out of his mouth.

Chanyeol almost laughs, stifling his chuckle, "You don't really want me to answer that do you?" He takes another pull, and Baekhyun watches the end of the joint burn a bright orange-red. He's somewhat intrigued by this, despite the warnings in his brain telling him to leave, and he slides onto the bench next to Chanyeol, dropping his grocery bags onto the ground.

"Fine, let me try it." He motions for the spliff, and Chanyeol raises his eyebrows.

"Hey, I'm not trying to force you. Just making jokes."

"You're not forcing me. Now hand it over." Baekhyun puts on a bravado act, straightening up on the bench as he tentatively reaches a hand out to take the joint.

"Okay, well, go slow," Chanyeol hands it over, a cautious look on his face. Baekhyun almost wants to tell him to eat shit, but he restrains himself.

Putting the joint to his lips, he inhales for a brief moment before he feels the sudden fire at the back of his throat and he starts coughing all the smoke out.

Chanyeol nearly bursts a gut laughing while Baekhyun is in the middle of regurgitating his lungs as he bends over, trying to get some clean air into his body. He feels Chanyeol pat him on the back and he instantly straightens up, putting the back of his hand to his mouth as he tries to control his coughs.

"Here," Chanyeol passes him his water bottle, and Baekhyun takes a very appreciative gulp to soothe the burn in his throat. "No one does it right the first time."

"Even you?" Baekhyun manages to croak out between coughs.

"Hey, I'm not a God at everything," Chanyeol says, taking the joint from Baekhyun's fingers and taking a pull before blowing the smoke out, making it look effortless, "just guitar." He smirks.

Baekhyun sticks his middle finger up at him. "Blow me."

 

-

 

Band doesn't meet for nearly two weeks, due to midterms and Sehun's constant whines of his predicted failure. Their loyalty forces Lu Han, Jongin and Baekhyun to take turns in reassuring him with pats on the head and study groups. By the end of their first one, Jongin suggests to Sehun that he'll have a better chance of passing if he just sleeps on his textbooks and hopes osmosis takes effect.

On a particularly Pokémon-obsessed day, Lu Han even goes as far as to confiscate his DS (a regrettable choice), leaving him with scratch marks on his arms (courtesy of Sehun) and the promise to never touch his Nintendo again.

Baekhyun still sees Chanyeol during gym class, but aside from the typical snide comments directed at each other (Chanyeol with a grin and a, "Hey Baby Boy," and Baekhyun replying in his typical format with rolled eyes and the middle finger), their contact is limited. Their classes have shifted to the athletics part of the syllabus, which normally means independent work-outs and gym time. Baekhyun and Sehun pretend to time each other on their sprints, giving them the chance to stay on the track field outside wasting the period away, and stay out of their teacher's sight.

That also means less Chanyeol. Out of sight, out of mind. If only.

Chanyeol has been on his mind more often now, which only irritates the singer, wondering how the lack of his physical presence in his life has somehow increased his appearance in his thoughts. With Chanyeol's arrogance and laissez-faire attitude on basically everything (but explicitly his manners and assertiveness involving Baekhyun), it's hard for him to figure Chanyeol out. He had started thinking of him like the Terminator, sent back in time specifically for Baekhyun's displeasure, but a PG-13, attractive, exasperating as fuck Terminator that preferred infuriation over assassination.

He doesn't know how to explain his simultaneous attraction and need for competition with Chanyeol, because he's damn hot when he's silent, but then he opens his mouth and Baekhyun feels torn between wanting to silence him with a knife or his own tongue.

Stabbing him typically wins in Baekhyun's mind, on the days where his hormones are a little more sluggish than normal and Chanyeol is operating at levels of peak annoyance.

 

-

 

Their first practice back after midterms is surprisingly productive, most likely due to their separation from their instruments for a good ten days. Sehun had practically flopped onto his keyboard, hugging it with his whole chest as he promised to never leave it again, before Lu Han pointed out that they still have finals in a couple of months, killing his joy within seconds.

They run through Power a couple of times (having chosen it weeks ago, much to Chanyeol's delight and Baekhyun's slight dismay in his role as Major Petty), before Jongin almost screams in frustration of hearing the same song over again. Even Baekhyun agrees, and they settle for fooling around as a short break, playing random covers of songs from the late 90s and early 2000s, embodying their pre-pubescent years.

It's relaxing and entertaining, the five of them exaggerating with their playing and singing as they pretend to be performing in front of an screaming audience for practice.

"Hello New York!" Lu Han yells, "We are currently unnamed for now, but we will be playing for you. Let's make some noise!" He holds out an imaginary microphone out to the wall, a hand cupped to his ear as the silence continues.

Maybe it's the post-stress adrenaline, but it makes all of them burst into laughter. Baekhyun accidentally stumbles into Chanyeol in his fit of giggles, who catches him, holding him up by his arm and a hand slid on his waist.

It immediately sobers him up, and Baekhyun flushes red. He mumbles a, "Thanks," before worming himself out of Chanyeol's grip, who just nods before looking back at Lu Han, still very engrossed in his performance. Jongin is bobbing his head dramatically as he plucks the strings of his bass, and Sehun is twirling on the spot for dancing emphasis at his keyboard. It's still amusing, but Baekhyun laughs a little less, his eyes flashing over to Chanyeol more often than not.

 

-

 

It's at the end of practice - with all of them lying around the room in various, worn out positions - when Sehun brings up summer break; his mind, about as side-tracked as they come, is already lying by the beach in the hot sun.

"Twenty-seven degrees, _twenty-seven_ degrees, man," Sehun puts up his index and middle finger, followed by his left palm to indicate the numbers two and seven, just to emphasize (and brag about) the temperature in California.

"We _get_ it," Jongin rolls his eyes as he stands up to put his bass in its case. "It'll be _twenty-seven_ degrees." He mimics his tone, and Sehun narrows his gaze.

"Don't be jealous, Jongin," he swings an arm around his neck, playfully ruffling his hair, "I asked my parents if we could bring you along, but they said no pets allowed."

He leaps away laughing before Jongin can give him a sorely deserved beating, and once again, the rest of them are left with the sight of Sehun and Jongin running down the hallway as the latter yells threats about snapping him in two. Baekhyun is surprised Jongin's bass guitar isn't as beat up as it would seem, banging against his back as he chases after Sehun.

Chanyeol and him look at Lu Han, who simply raises his hands in indifference, "Don't look at me. I'm off duty."

"I'm rooting for Sehun," Chanyeol says when he lifts the strap of his guitar case onto his shoulder. "He seemed to have a bit more pep in him today."

Lu Han and Baekhyun share a look and smile, before they both say, "We'll take that bet."

Five minutes later, Jongin has Sehun in a headlock, and Lu Han and Baekhyun have a fiver each.

 

-

 

It's one thing for Baekhyun to have _considered_ not attending a practice in the past, but ridiculous when Chanyeol actually follows through with it in the present. It's T-22 days until Unsigned, and he's missing. Not picture-on-the-milk-carton missing, but a no-show for practice which is either incredibly worrying or infuriating, depending on the circumstance of his absence.

There was no text or phone call to explain his absence, which is looming on distressing, or just irresponsible (the latter of which Baekhyun is putting all his money on). Call it instinct, or experience. With three weeks until their last practice, Baekhyun can't let this slide, especially when they still need to practice their chosen cover, and according to Chanyeol, _'improve on Baekhyun's rapping skills'_.

He hasn't taken Chanyeol up on his offer, because the two of them in close quarters with one another is a recipe for disaster. And despite the apathy of Lu Han, Jongin and Sehun who couldn't even feign enough concern ("I'm lazy, if you care so much you go look for him,"), Baekhyun conducts a one-person search party anyway (if only for the chance to yell at him).

He checks in each classroom he passes, and it's frankly getting a bit tiring opening every door to find the room empty. He's about to give up and join his friends relaxing in their indifference to the missing guitarist, when he hears voices in the chemistry lab, and his curiosity leads the way.

In hindsight, Baekhyun wouldn't have bothered searching for him if he knew the aftermath that came with turning that door handle.

The door swings open to Chanyeol on his knees, hands gripping the back of the captain of the basketball team's thighs. Kim Joonmyun's eyes are closed and his hands are tugging Chanyeol's hair, who is eagerly sucking his cock (which is quite fucking sizeable, but that's besides the point.)

Baekhyun makes some sort of gargled noise, and Chanyeol pulls away with red, swollen lips, a string of saliva between his mouth and the tip of Joonmyun's dick, and Baekhyun forces himself to swallow because his mouth has become so goddamn dry.

"Oh, hey Baby Boy," he says simply, as though he wasn't sucking a hulk-sized dick a few seconds ago like it was supplying him with the oxygen to breathe. There's about a million things running through Baekhyun's mind right now, like how Chanyeol managed to choke that down and does he even have a gag reflex? But Baekhyun's brain-to-mouth filter never worked so well anyways, so he just blurts out the first thought that reaches his lips, head tilted and eyebrows furrowed.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" He looks at Joonmyun, who is trying to hastily stuff his erection back in his underwear and zip up his pants. His face is bright red, a colour Baekhyun never thought the human body could achieve, and he would laugh, if it wasn't so fucking embarrassing.

Chanyeol just straightens up and brushes the dirt off his slacks, and the fact that nothing is filling the silence, other than the continuous ruffling of Joonmyun forcefully tucking his shirt in his pants (as if that's going to hide anything now), makes the heat in Baekhyun's cheeks rise considerably high. He tries to maintain as much dignity as possible by finally saying, "And you missed the first hour of practice, you dick."

And then he turns on his heel and storms off, leaving a nonchalant Chanyeol who shrugs his blazer on and grabs his gig bag sitting on the table beside them. He follows Baekhyun out with a _'we should finish this up sometime,'_ to Joonmyun, who looks like he wants the ground to swallow him up.

Using 'dick' as an insult probably wasn't the best choice of words given the circumstances, mainly because Baekhyun's own might have twitched at the sight of Chanyeol's mouth around Joonmyun's cock, and now he has the searing image of that emblazoned in his mind forever.

He hears Chanyeol catch up with him, and Baekhyun looks anywhere but to his left as he quickens his pace. Chanyeol manages to stay silent, which is somewhat of a miracle, and Baekhyun is eternally grateful for whatever deity managed to shut him up because he doesn't know what he'll end up saying if he had to open his mouth again.

They return to the music room, Chanyeol sauntering in right behind Baekhyun as if nothing happened, and Baekhyun still keeping his gaze trained on the ground in front of him.

"So where did you find him?" Sehun asks, eyes glued to his Nintendo as always.

"Chemistry lab," Baekhyun mutters, his face going red again. He brushes past the lot of them sitting on the couch and goes straight to the microphone, fiddling with it to avoid looking at Chanyeol. The latter just shrugs before heading to his spot in the room and taking out his Les Paul Custom.

 

-

 

Even though Chanyeol doesn't bring up it once, that doesn't stop Baekhyun's overactive imagination much, especially when he finds himself stroking his dick in the shower to the picture of Chanyeol's full lips around his cock and wondering what it'd be like to come down his throat.

 

-

 

Practices continue smoothly (well, as smoothly as they can for everyone else). Baekhyun is still very much flustered whenever he even hears Chanyeol's name, let alone when they're standing four feet apart and forced to make eye contact. He's still as aggravating as ever, unbothered by the chemistry lab blowjob.

If anything, it embarrasses Baekhyun more than Chanyeol.

"Your flow is wrong," Chanyeol says, for what Baekhyun thinks is the hundredth time.

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's still wrong," Chanyeol smirks.

Baekhyun turns to face him, hands on his hips, "How the fuck else am I supposed to rap it then?"

"You're forcing it a bit too much. Relax a bit on the first part, you rush into the end too much."

Baekhyun heaves out a sigh, running a hand down his face, "You fucking try it then."

They're working on the vocals, deciding to add Jongin and Sehun's voice for the chorus to make it sound fuller and richer. Then they got to the rap verse, which Lu Han suggested needed work, and in came Chanyeol's commentary.

He shakes his head, "Hey, I'm not the lead singer here, Baby Boy."

"You're all talk and no action," Baekhyun goads him.

"Just do it as an example," Jongin suggests, and Chanyeol gives a shrug.

"From the chorus?" Sehun asks, and he nods.

They wait for Lu Han to count them in, and they play, Baekhyun strumming rhythm as they sing. Lu Han hits the snare as he kicks the bass drum, signalling the start of Chanyeol's rap.

Baekhyun would probably dislike him even more, if it didn't sound so good. His rap is deep, like when he speaks, and his rhythm and delivery flow out so naturally that Baekhyun throws his hands up in the air.

Of course, he would completely whoop his ass in his vocals as well. It's almost disappointing it took Baekhyun this long before he heard his rapping, but he shakes that thought of his head and settles for envy and frustration instead.

"Oh, for fucks sake," he mutters when Chanyeol is finished, who is all smiles and winks. "You do that bit then, since you're so fucking good at it."

Lu Han agrees, almost timidly as if not to offend Baekhyun, "Yeah, Chanyeol. Can we do another full run-through of Power just to hear how it sounds with you taking over that verse?"

Jongin and Sehun agree, with the latter murmuring out a small, "Sorry," to Baekhyun.

"Whatever, it's fine," Baekhyun feels the need to say, mentally adding on, _'Why don't you just take the whole song then, you giant oaf.'_

Chanyeol just smirks.

 

-

 

T-11 days, and the stress is getting to them all.

Sehun is snapping at anything anyone says, especially Lu Han, which doesn't go over well when the drummer threatens destruction of gaming property, ignoring past promises.

"Sehun, we switch it on the second chorus, remember? It's not the same. You have to remember that." Lu Han says from his drums as he adjusts the positions of his cymbals.

" _Okay_ , I get it. Get off my fucking back," Sehun bites out, much to Lu Han's surprise.

"Hey, calm down. I just said it once."

"You say it once like every time," Sehun rolls his eyes.

"Well, then maybe don't fuck up every time?" Lu Han unhelpfully suggests, which was most definitely the wrong thing to say. Sehun almost lunges at him, before trying to keep his composure as he huffs from the keyboards.

"I'm not fucking it up. At least I can play my instrument," he says, giving a pointed look at Baekhyun.

"Wow, what the fuck did I do?" Baekhyun asks, not appreciating the tone or look from Sehun as he slips the microphone back onto the stand.

"You're off," he shrugs, "which is probably what's throwing me off."

"Hey, don't blame me for your mistakes, Sehun," Baekhyun glares at him.

And then Chanyeol steps in, which only aggravates everything.

"Well, he's not entirely wrong."

"And what the hell do you mean by that?" Baekhyun whips his head around.

Chanyeol shrugs, "Your strumming pattern isn't right. It's all downpicking during the chorus, and you keep slipping in a few upstrokes. This isn't alternate picking."

"No, I don't," Baekhyun shakes his head vehemently.

"Yes, you do. Sehun's right, it's sort of throwing us all off."

Baekhyun stares at Chanyeol, before looking at Jongin who shrugs (his preferred stance is always to stay out of any crossfire), and then glancing at Lu Han as if to ask if he's going crazy.

"Don't defend Sehun, Chanyeol. Baekhyun's fine, it's Sehun who keeps playing the wrong part." Lu Han says, and Baekhyun gets a small surge of pride.

"Not from where I'm standing," Chanyeol snarkily replies.

"As if you're the leading authority on this." Baekhyun crosses his arms over his guitar.

Chanyeol snorts - actually _snorts_ \- as he says, "Compared to you."

Five minutes later, it's gotten even worse.

"It's called constructive criticism!" Chanyeol yells, eyes narrowed and fists clenched at his sides, because Baekhyun doesn't take advice.

"Yeah, you left out the _constructive_ bit, dumbass," Baekhyun sneers. "It's a wonder how you passed English."

"Just because you don't know how to take a few comments."

" _'A few'_ would be two or three over some time. Not one every three seconds. We can't even get through the fucking song."

"Not my fault you don't play it right."

"I'm playing it _fine_ ," Baekhyun says through gritted teeth, his nostrils flaring.

"Fine isn't good enough if you want to win."

"Well, we're not all gifted with talent from God, Himself."

"You have _got_ to stop using that as ammunition," Chanyeol pinches the bridge of his nose, eyes shut tight.

"I would if you didn't bring up how perfect you are every practice."

"I don't say any of that shit."

"Might as well, with the way you walk in here. You're not Jimi Hendrix!"

"Who the fuck said I was?"

"It's your _attitude_! Listen and learn, my God."

"If you're praying to God, you might want to be asking for better guitar skills."

"Fuck you," Baekhyun snarls, and Chanyeol bites back.

"Fuck you too."

By this time, Lu Han has already given back Sehun his DS as an apology, and the two of them plus Jongin have shifted to the couch, watching the anger unfold and wishing they had popcorn.

 

-

 

Baekhyun stalks into Sehun's garage, his knuckles a stark white as he tightly grips the handles of his gig bag. He practically drops his guitar on the floor, way past the point of caring, as he falls onto the couch, pulling a pillow over his face to groan loudly into it.

"Well, hello to you too," Sehun says, all smiles as he crouches down to plug his keyboard into the amp.

"What's wrong with you?" Jongin asks, choosing to be the annoying one for once as he sits on top of Baekhyun, laughing as the singer is forced to push him off and take deep breaths before he suffocates. Baekhyun doesn't say anything as he keeps pouting, eyes darting to the door leading to the rest of Sehun's house as he raises an eyebrow.

"Chanyeol isn't here yet," Sehun rolls his eyes, and Baekhyun unwinds slightly.

He sighs, before placing his hands in his lap, "Can we replace him?"

"Not a fucking chance," Lu Han replies, beaming.

"But I hate him," he whines, and Jongin grabs the pillow to whack him.

"Unsigned is in a week. Suck it the fuck up."

"Maybe if you didn't have such a hard-on for him, you two would get along better," Sehun nonchalantly says, and Baekhyun almost laughs at the absurdity of that comment.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"All your tension and jealousy," Sehun says, as if that explains anything, and he carries on when he sees the blank look on Baekhyun's face. "It seems like whenever you guys are in the same room with another, you end up arguing."

"Because he's an asshole," Baekhyun deadpans.

"You can be attracted to assholes. Not the literal ones I mean. But in this case, that also applies." Lu Han adds.

"But I hate him," Baekhyun says, and they all look at each other.

Jongin shrugs, "If you say so," before he busies himself helping Sehun untangle the cables scattered across the garage floor.

 

-

 

Maybe it's nerves, but Baekhyun isn't ready.

They're on in an hour, and he's panicking. Which would be fine, under normal circumstances. But having to perform with Park Chanyeol, Grade A Jackass and Lead Guitarist, does not fall under the classification of normal.

Their past two practices had been nothing but irate words and curses thrown at each other, specifically regarding Baekhyun's technique, and Chanyeol's arrogance (Chanyeol had new material but Baekhyun was really sticking with the old stuff). They had spent the majority of their last three hours of rehearsal arguing, leaving little time to practice. Even with the competition coming up, that only fueled their irritation with each other, much to Lu Han, Jongin and Sehun's chagrin.

Being able to perform as a complete band is sort of a necessity that Baekhyun doesn't think he can fulfil, especially if Chanyeol says one more word to him about his musical abilities.

He's busy muttering profanities under his breath at the water machine, trying to give himself a good Chanyeol-free hour, when he's suddenly pulled backwards, arms looped through his own as Lu Han and Jongin drag him away.

"Hey, what the fuck?" Baekhyun squirms, unable to wrestle free.

"Just hold on," Jongin says, and Baekhyun tries again to get himself out of their grip, not exactly enjoying being pulled along like a ragdoll.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" They turn a corner, and then Sehun comes into view.

He smiles and says, "Promise to not kill us, okay?" as he walks along, following Lu Han, Jongin and Raggedy Baekhyun. It doesn't really quash any concerns, raising his pressure even more. Before he can ask, he's suddenly let go and practically thrown into a dressing room, stumbling as he tries to find his footing.

"What the fuck?" Baekhyun's eyebrows knit, "We don't have time for this."

"Uh, yes we do," Jongin smiles from outside the room, before he slams the door in Baekhyun's face.

"You'll thank us later!" He hears Sehun yell from the other side of the door, and Baekhyun is severely perplexed at this moment. He takes a moment to look around the room, before he sees Chanyeol leaning against the counter.

"Hey, Baby Boy," he grins.

"Oh, you have _got_ to be fucking kidding me." He deadpans, storming towards the door as he thumps on the wood with his fist, as if that is going to do anything. "Let me the fuck out."

"Not a chance!" Lu Han yells back.

"We go on in less than an _hour_!" Baekhyun shouts, thumping again.

"Too bad," he hears Jongin say, and he kicks the door in defiance.

"Can't we do this later?" Baekhyun asks, quite dejectedly.

"No," Lu Han says through the door. "You're going to work it out now. We're not going on stage with you two butting heads. It'll be a fucking disaster. You have forty-five minutes."

"Forty-five minutes to do what, exactly?" Baekhyun questions.

"Work it the fuck out!" Sehun shouts. "Play nice, so we don't end up on stage shouting at one another in front of an audience."

Baekhyun spins on his heel, looking at Chanyeol who has stayed silent throughout the whole exchange. Ignoring him, he crosses his arms, choosing to pace in circles with his thoughts to keep him company.

"Are you going to keep doing that?" Chanyeol asks a few minutes later.

Baekhyun continues to walk around, "Yes, got a problem with that?"

"It's not exactly anything constructive."

"Like you sitting there is being helpful either."

Chanyeol shrugs. "It's more for my entertainment. I'm watching."

"Watching what?"

"Watching you torment yourself wondering how you've been trapped in a room with me."

At this, Baekhyun stops pacing, narrowing his eyes. "I'm so glad this is funny to you. We do have bigger problems though, if you feel like taking some time out of your day to care about someone else besides yourself."

"What makes you think I don't care?"

Baekhyun groans, " _Please_ , you were so against doing this in the first place, and now, guess what? If we stay stuck in this room, we don't have to perform."

"Hey, I'm not the one who dragged you in here and then locked you in with me. That's on them," Chanyeol nods towards the door, and Baekhyun can vaguely hear Lu Han, Jongin and Sehun shuffle outside.

"Are you guys just going to eavesdrop the whole time?" Baekhyun yells at the door, getting a, "Yes," in return from a muffled Jongin.

"Well, whatever. Still helps your case, doesn't it?" Baekhyun snaps back at Chanyeol.

He crosses his arms, "I agreed to do this competition in the end, didn't I?" And Baekhyun mutters out a reluctant, "Yes."

"So, what's your problem here?"

"Um, we're stuck in a fucking room until we make nice. Does that sound like something easy enough for you to do?" He throws his hands up in the air, exasperated.

"I'm not the one holding grudges." Chanyeol raises his hands, acting innocent.

"What fucking grudge?" Baekhyun has to ask. His dislike for Chanyeol stems from his consistent arrogance and behaviour, mostly. Jealousy probably plays a role somewhere, but Baekhyun doesn't want to admit that.

"I don't know. Are you angry because I took the rap? I really don't care if you want to do it."

"Except for the many, many times you pointed out how shit I was at it." Baekhyun snaps.

"Well, I'm not wrong," Chanyeol says, and Baekhyun glares at him before he continues. "Your singing is amazing, and you really do have a voice. Sadly, that does not apply to your rapping abilities."

"Wow, the most turnaround compliment ever," Baekhyun rolls his eyes. "Probably the nicest thing you've ever said in your life."

"I offered to help," Chanyeol claims, "not my fault you didn't take me up on that."

"So you could condescend me further? No thanks," Baekhyun scoffs, walking over to the door and giving it a solid kick again, just to piss the others off.

He hears Jongin exclaim, ' _Ow!_ ', before momentarily smiling and walking back into the center of the room, facing Chanyeol.

"So, you're going to just sit there?" Baekhyun raises an eyebrow.

"Not like we're doing much else." Chanyeol looks around pointedly, "Unless you want some last-minute rhythm lessons."

"Bring that up again and my foot will meet your dick," he threatens.

"Just a suggestion," Chanyeol mentions, and Baekhyun runs a hand down his face in frustration. He closes his eyes, taking deep breaths, before he hears the opening of a tin and some rustling. Staring at the joint in his hand, he almost wants to slap him.

"Are you fucking serious?" Baekhyun says, incredulous.

"Like, I said, there's not much else to do." Chanyeol tries to justify his action, already lighting the end as he takes a pull.

"You're a fucking idiot," Baekhyun storms towards him. Not being that well-versed on the effects of weed, he assumes it only hinders one's ability, and he does not want Chanyeol holding them back on stage. Grabbing the spliff out of his mouth, he scrunches it up in his hand before throwing it into the trash can under the table.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Chanyeol erupts, straightening up to his full height as he stands up. The look on Baekhyun's face says it all, and he clenches his fist at his side. "Do you understand how much that cost?"

"It's not my money," Baekhyun responds, albeit in a disdainful and immature remark.

"You're paying for that," Chanyeol points at the trash can, his lips in a thin line with wide, fuming eyes.

"For your weed? No thanks," Baekhyun turns around. He takes a step forward before he's being yanked back by his wrist, spinning around to face an extremely irate Chanyeol.

He lets out a deep breath, voice deep and hostile. "You are some type of asshole."

"Least I'm not some pothead," Baekhyun bites out, a finger harshly poking into Chanyeol's chest.

"I recall you giving that a try," he muses, "maybe if you did it more, you wouldn't be such a pain in the ass." He pushes his shoulders back, towering over Baekhyun.

"Fuck you," he almost spits, glaring.

"Yeah, fuck you back." They stare at each other, Baekhyun's eyes narrowed and vicious compared to Chanyeol's, intense and focused.

Baekhyun is the first one to cave, throwing out his resolve.

He rolls his eyes, muttering out, "God, I hate you," before curling his fingers into the front of Chanyeol's shirt and pulling him down. Their lips meet, and Chanyeol's hands automatically wrap around Baekhyun as he holds him closer.

Chanyeol's lips are full, and he tilts his head to kiss him harder and deeper as he backs him up against the counter. Baekhyun arches up as he opens his mouth, letting his tongue run along Chanyeol's lower lip. His hand finds itself in Baekhyun's hair, tugging his head back as he starts to suck open-mouthed kisses along his jawline, much to Baekhyun's pleasure as he softly moans out.

He sheds his own jacket, before pulling Chanyeol's off as he lets him continue to bite hickeys into his neck.

"I really hate you," Baekhyun mumbles out, as Chanyeol fumbles with the bottom of his shirt, sliding a hand under and up onto his chest.

"I know, Baby Boy," Chanyeol murmurs, flicking his index finger over Baekhyun's nipple as he catches his mouth in another kiss. He licks into his mouth, and Baekhyun softly sucks on his tongue, his hand curled around the back of his neck as he pulls him in harder.

They kiss like that for a while, hot and open-mouthed as Chanyeol continues to run his fingers over Baekhyun's chest and abdomen. His touch feels fiery on Baekhyun's skin, and he's itching for Chanyeol to strip him, but the guitarist seems to be taking his time. He bunches Baekhyun's shirt up under his underarms, leaning down to flick his tongue over his nipple, which has Baekhyun arching his back up even more under the sensitivity of the touch.

He pulls his shirt up over his head, glancing down to see Chanyeol explore his body, the heat of his hands everywhere all at once. It's maddening, how long he is taking, considering how hard Baekhyun is for him.

He loosens his grip in Chanyeol's curls, closing his eyes as he feels Chanyeol drop to his knees. His fingers are massaging the sides of his thighs, and he just wants him to touch him _there_. Chanyeol seems to get the idea, with the whimpering coming out of Baekhyun, when he softly presses the heel of his palm into his crotch to palm over his cock, and Baekhyun feels his dick twitch in his briefs.

He probably groans, guessing from Chanyeol's gentle laugh, but the blood has all rushed to his head and ears as Chanyeol continues to work his fingers over his hardening cock.

"Are you going to suck me off?" Baekhyun finally asks, after some lengthy foreplay involving the obstruction of Baekhyun's pants still being on, as he gazes down at Chanyeol. It's something so arousing to see Chanyeol on his knees, eyes intense as he loops his fingers in the waistband of Baekhyun's pants and slides them down, briefs and all.

It should be embarrassing, standing there practically naked as he steps out of his clothing and throws them to the side, especially with Chanyeol dressed, but Baekhyun only finds it more exciting. Chanyeol eyes him with some ravenous look, before he finally, _finally_ takes Baekhyun's cock into his mouth.

And Baekhyun definitely does moan this time. He feels Chanyeol smile around his dick, and he licks up the length of his dick before slipping the head of his cock in his mouth, running his tongue over the slit. Too caught up in the feel of Chanyeol's mouth, he doesn't realize Chanyeol has shimmied his own pants off, fisting his own cock as he sucks Baekhyun's.

Spit pools in the corner of his mouth as he takes Baekhyun deeper, his mouth wet and so warm as he enthusiastically bobs his head up and down. Chanyeol pulls on his own dick hard and fast, eliciting a soft groan every time he hears Baekhyun's breath hitch.

It only makes him harder, and he keeps going, burying his nose in the hairs above Baekhyun's cock as he deep-throats him.

"Oh _God_ , keep going," Baekhyun says breathlessly, hand fisted in Chanyeol's hair again as he encourages him to suck him harder. Chanyeol hums around his cock, concentrating on taking him in deep as he brings his unoccupied hand around to squeeze Baekhyun's ass, fingers digging hard into his skin. He can taste the precome, and a quick glance up to see Baekhyun pliant and yearning is enough to make him come.

Chanyeol spills in his hand, a low, guttural sound stemming from his throat as he continues to fist his cock, the feeling so fucking so satiating.

Hearing Chanyeol's growl opens Baekhyun's eyes, and he glimpses down to see the come dripping over Chanyeol's hand even with his mouth still warm and heavy on his cock.

"Oh, _fuck_ ," Baekhyun whimpers, one harsh tug in Chanyeol's hair as a warning that he's about to orgasm. Chanyeol bobs his head down the length of his dick one last time, and Baekhyun's cock throbs as he comes, the ropes of come shooting down Chanyeol's throat until he pulls off.

Baekhyun rides out his orgasm, hips shuddering against the counter. Chanyeol grins up at him, come dribbling down his chin, the sight of which only rouses Baekhyun.

"Well, you took your time," he smirks, wiping his face with the back of his hand before he stands up, knees and jaw aching. He grabs a few tissues out the box sitting on the counter, wiping Baekhyun's come off his hand, before offering the tissues to him.

Baekhyun grabs some, glowering, as he wipes his cock and thighs down before stepping into his briefs and pants.

"Like you were waiting for this?"

Chanyeol shrugs, dropping a kiss on Baekhyun's lips, "Maybe. You must have wanted this since you walked in on me and Joonmyun."

He blushes (something he thought was impossible considering his previous nudity in front of Park Chanyeol), hiding his face as he pulls his shirt on over his head, "You think too much of yourself, you know." His time in the shower isn't anything he's particularly keen on disclosing.

"I know, it's all part of my charm." Chanyeol grins, before looking over to the door. "Think that counts as playing nice?"

"Let's find out." Baekhyun grabs his jacket off the ground, striding over to bang on the door. It doesn't open until a few moments later, which is a relief to find out that the trio weren't standing right outside listening in.

Even though Lu Han, Jongin, and Sehun are whistling, giving Baekhyun knowing looks and sly smiles. He grimaces, brushing past them, "I hope you perverts weren't listening."

"Well, someone had to keep watch. Not our fault you're loud." Jongin says as they file down the hallway and towards the stage. "We've only got fifteen minutes until we're on."

"Perfect timing, don't you think so, Baby Boy?" Chanyeol says, and Baekhyun ignores him. They walk into another room to grab their instruments (and in Lu Han and Sehun's case, nothing) as Lu Han eyes Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

"So, you're good, right?"

"I've tasted his come. I think we're past good," Chanyeol laughs, much to Baekhyun's mortification as he whacks him in the stomach.

"Let's just finish this," he mutters, grabbing his Yamaha off the stand. His nerves are making a rapid comeback, but he takes a deep breath, looking at the others who are all smiles and mischievous looks.

Lu Han sidles up to Baekhyun, twirling a drumstick in hand as he winks at him. "So, that help you destress?"

"Shut up," Baekhyun flushes, "we have a competition to think about."

Lu Han just laughs, before resting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing. "Take a deep breath."

 

-

 

It's an exhilarating rush, the thunderous sound of cheers and clapping, that fills Baekhyun as he looks out to the crowd.

They've finished their ten minutes on stage, sweat decorating their foreheads as they bow and wave to the _woops_ coming from the audience.

Chanyeol was the usual; his arrogance and attractiveness displayed as he rapped with a sharp flow and impeccable delivery. It didn't help Baekhyun's concentration when he stripped his jacket off on stage right before his solo, bare arms showing as he shredded on his Checksave Stratocaster during the bridge of Power.

He definitely did not have a stage fright problem.

The excitement for Chanyeol's solo only hyped Lu Han up as he hit his tom drums, throwing in a crash of the cymbals during the drum fill. Jongin was smiling with eyes crinkled at the corners, and he would cross over to Baekhyun as they sang the chorus, much to the pleasure of the audience. And Sehun was just loving every minute, soaking up the cheers as the crowd jumped to the beat.

Exiting off the stage, they're all buzzing from the enthusiasm from the audience.

"We did fucking great!" Sehun yells, hands squeezing Jongin's shoulders as he practically jumps on top of him.

"Yeah, we did good," Baekhyun agrees, smiling so much he's surprised his cheeks don't hurt.

" _Good_? Do you hear them out there? We _killed_ it!" Sehun leaps off Jongin to shake him by the shoulders.

"Don't get your hopes up yet, though," Lu Han says, "there's still another few groups after us." He's trying to be as realistic as possible in the aftermath of their moment of glory, which only spoils Sehun's celebration as he pouts. Jongin laughs, hooking his arm around his neck and fluffing his hair.

"We were great." He says to reassure Sehun, whose optimism seems to be rapidly draining.

"I noticed you took my advice on the second chorus," Chanyeol says, nudging Baekhyun.

He rolls his eyes. "Yeah, you might have been right with that one."

"Wait, you want to say that again?" He's smug, and even though Baekhyun is annoyed, he's also extremely turned on. While the blowjob may have satiated him for that moment, watching Chanyeol on stage was too arousing for him to leave it be.

"Um, we'll be right back," he says to Lu Han, Jongin and Sehun, who are trying to gage whether the audience is louder now with the next band on stage already.

Baekhyun grabs the sleeve of his jacket, pulling him behind as he hastens his pace down the hall.

"Where are we going?" Chanyeol says innocently enough, even though Baekhyun can _hear_ his smirk.

"You're going to shut up and fuck me."

Chanyeol grins, "With pleasure, Baby Boy." And Baekhyun's cheeks heat up again.

 

-

 

They end up back in the dressing room, already stained from their earlier antics, adrenaline running on high after their performance.

Baekhyun has his arms around Chanyeol's neck and legs wrapped around his hips, ass spread by Chanyeol's fingers as he fucks up hard into him. Breathless whispers spill from Baekhyun's mouth, of ' _fuck me, fuck me hard, just like that_ ' which spurs Chanyeol on as he quickens his pace.

Baekhyun drops his head back, eyes fluttering shut as he sinks down on Chanyeol's cock over and over again, feeling so absolutely full when he's inside him.

"You know, jealousy looks good on you," Chanyeol teases, the corner of his mouth curling up.

"Thought I told you to shut up."

"It's a package deal, Baby Boy." Chanyeol nips at his neck as he slows down, pushing his cock in and out leisurely as Baekhyun inhales.

"Your hotness is spoiled when you open your mouth," he says, gently placing a hand over Chanyeol's mouth to shut him up. It comes as a surprise when Chanyeol licks over his fingers, before taking his middle finger into his mouth and sucking on it.

It's grating that with everything Chanyeol does, it somehow only provokes Baekhyun more.

He clings to him with one arm, trying to raise himself up higher as he wills Chanyeol to just fuck him harder. But Chanyeol is Chanyeol. He shakes his head despite Baekhyun's pleas to hasten his speed, letting him feel every inch of his cock as he sinks into him slowly.

It's a different type of pleasure when he pushes in deep, his hips thrusting languidly. But Baekhyun wants reckless and loud.

"Chanyeol, please _fuck_ me," Baekhyun pleads, the blood in his head and his untouched cock standing hard and red are too much for him to concentrate on anything slow.

He feels Chanyeol's fingers digging into his plush thighs as he's lifted off his cock. He almost protests before he's spun around and his cheeks are spread again. Chanyeol slides the tip of his dick between his ass, enjoying the sight of Baekhyun bent over and open for him.

"You're going to take this, and moan loud for me?" Chanyeol asks, pushing in ever so slightly so the head of his cock sits inside Baekhyun, stretching him open.

"You need a mute button," Baekhyun growls, Chanyeol's hands firmly gripping his hips to stop him from pushing back onto his dick.

"You know," Chanyeol starts, slowly leaning forward as his cock presses further inside Baekhyun, "I was thinking the same thing." His shoulders are flush with Chanyeol's chest, and the guitarist brings a hand around and fixes his thumb and fingers around his neck to pull him backwards. He bites at Baekhyun's lobe, letting his tongue dip into the shell of his ear as he jerks his hips forward harshly.

Baekhyun gasps out, clawing at the wall as Chanyeol fucks into him, just the way he wants. It's messy and unrestrained, and Baekhyun softly whimpers as he feels the thickness of Chanyeol's cock sliding in and out. He lowers a hand to fist his own cock, loving how rough Chanyeol is as his grip tightens around his neck.

"You're doing good, Baby Boy," Chanyeol whispers into his ear, and Baekhyun turns his head to dip his tongue into his mouth. The way they kiss is hot and heavy, like they can't get enough of each other.

It's when Chanyeol tugs on his bottom lip, taking it between his teeth, that Baekhyun finally comes, spurting all over his hand. He moans out in pleasure as he clenches around his dick, seconds to collapsing if Chanyeol wasn't holding him up.

"You're such a good fuck, you know," Chanyeol growls, before he snaps his hips vigorously, burying his cock deep inside Baekhyun.

His voice is gruff and low as he comes moments later, tightening his grip around Baekhyun's neck, who only wishes for him to squeeze harder. He stays inside him briefly before grunting as he pulls his dick out.

Baekhyun feels empty, clenching around air as he stays propped up against the wall, too weak to find new footing. Chanyeol pulls the latex off, throwing it in the trash can as he admires the curve of Baekhyun's ass, walking back up to him to spank his round, plump cheek.

"Well, that was most definitely making nice," He grins, and Baekhyun finds the strength to turn around and face him, face flushed and breathing erratic.

"What did I say about keeping quiet," he reminds him, pulling their shirts off the floor and tossing Chanyeol his to slip on.

"Silence is not my strong suit." Chanyeol answers, looking around for his missing briefs once he's got one foot in the leg of his jeans. Baekhyun spies them on the table and chucks them over, before he wipes himself down.

"I realized," he throws his used tissue at Chanyeol, who pulls a face at the stickiness as he tosses them in the trash for him.

"So was that my reward for my winning advice?" He's conceited, and it's both hot and tiresome.

Baekhyun ignores him, pulling his pants on. "Just get dressed, they should be done and announcing the results soon."

"Bet you we win," he says cheekily.

Baekhyun scoffs, "Like I would bet against us."

Chanyeol ignores him as he presses his finger to his chin, pretending to think, "If we win, I get to teach you. Properly."

"And what does that mean?" Baekhyun raises an eyebrow.

"No complaints when I critique your guitar skills. I teach, you listen."

"And if we lose?" Baekhyun dares ask. He's not expecting a loss, but that could be his prejudice kicking in.

"You never have to listen to a word I say again," Chanyeol says, now fully dressed, as he saunters across to lean over Baekhyun, their faces dangerously close.

He's challenging him, and Baekhyun isn't going to concede. "Deal." He tiptoes up, softly biting Chanyeol's bottom lip in insolence.

Baekhyun is still placing all his money on them being the winners of Unsigned, even if he does have to praise Chanyeol. It won't be that bad, after all.

Especially if it ends up with Chanyeol's cock inside of him again as the guitarist fucks breathless screams out of him.

 

-

 

"Well then," Baekhyun exhales, as they shuffle on stage, his band beaming with elation as Lu Han accepts the cheque from the emcee of Unsigned. They each take turns shaking hands with the co-sponsors of the event, accepting their congratulatory messages and smiles, and giving thanks.

The lights on them are blinding, and Baekhyun squints slightly to see the audience. Strangers are clapping for them, and it feels like bliss. He's too caught up in the moment when he feels a hand squeeze his ass, and he shoots a look at Chanyeol standing next to him, who's busy feigning ignorance.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes when Chanyeol leans over, whispering in his ear to avoid anyone overhearing.

"Looks like you're getting a few more lessons from me," Chanyeol's eyes are mischievous, raising his eyebrows in provocation. "From the best of course."

And with the way his cock pulses, for once Baekhyun doesn't disagree with him.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> my musical knowledge all comes from what I remember in high school please forgive any incorrect technicalities


End file.
